On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 20:32:47 GMT, "Free Rider"
wrote:



I guess the sailing mags and the epoxy companies won't care for this
solution as it goes against their recommendations, but I have yet to run
aground due to an innacurate reading from my clay-mounted transducer in 4
years. BTW, anyone that trusts ANY depth sounder this completely is a fool.
Point is, it works this way.

This closely mirrors my own experience, but I'll add my two cents:

I too have a working Seafarer III "ring" type of nav station depth
sounder. I even pulled a spare unit from the yacht club garabe, "just
in case". But it's no damn use to me at the nav station, because I
single hand from a tiller position. So this was my solution. I got a
cheapo "Eagle" brand grayscale display fishfinder and a "puck" type
transducer. I placed the puck with putty forward of the keel angled
about 5-10 degrees facing forward just aft of the V-berth. After a bit
of fiddling and experimentation, I got quite accurate depth soundings
as confirmed by lead line. And, let's face it, who gives a rat's ass
if you read 90 feet when it's actually 102 feet? What you want is a
reading of 10 feet when it's 11 feet G.

So back to the display. This I mounted on the edge of the nav station
so that it's visible from the companionway. I use the large (two or
three inches or so) digital display when underway (backlit at night)
and the "bottom contour" display when thinking about anchoring or
using a bottom feature like a wreck to confirm navigation. I have a
handheld GPS on a folding lamp arm in the same spot. When I need it, I
extend and lash (in bad weather) the boat-powered GPS (a basic
Magellan unit) into the companionway "viewscreen"). Thus, for the $100
the findfinder cost, and the $150 the GPS cost, I have a great deal of
information to compliment whatever pilotage skills I possess.

Later in life, when they are cheaper, I will have a wireless,
networked multi-display waterproofed LCD screen glued to a bulkhead.
But today, this works for me....and hasn't involved any more holes in
the boat.

R.